SN 1006 Supernova
Remnant
From NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
A new star, likely the
brightest supernova in recorded human history, lit up planet Earth's sky in
the year 1006 AD.
The expanding debris
cloud from the stellar explosion, found in the southerly constellation of Lupus, still
puts on a cosmic light show across the electromagnetic spectrum.
In fact, this composite view includes
X-ray data in blue from the Chandra
Observatory, optical data in yellowish hues, and radio image data in red.
Now known as the SN 1006 supernova
remnant, the debris cloud appears to be about 60 light-years across and is
understood to represent the remains of a white dwarf star.
Part of a binary star system, the
compact white dwarf gradually captured material from its companion star. The
buildup in mass finally triggered a thermonuclear explosion that
destroyed the dwarf star.
Because the distance to
the supernova remnant is about 7,000 light-years,
that explosion actually happened 7,000 years before the light reached Earth in
1006.
Shockwaves in the
remnant accelerate particles
to extreme energies and are thought to be a source of the mysterious cosmic rays.
